New Car

[Inkara1]

Oh, same deal with the Pontiac Wave... it's made by Daewoo and sold in the US as the Chevy Aveo... PostCode just bought an Aveo and is happy with it so far.

 

[Professur]

GM did one major smart thing years back (so did all the big3, for that matter). They realized that they were completely hopeless at building a small, efficient, reliable car, and made a deal to retag an import for their lot.

Since not every japanese/korean/chinese manufacturer had an import agreement in Canada, it was fairly easy to pass those cars off as their own. For the most part the public was clueless. The Chevy Sprint/Pontiac Firefly/GM Metro was a retagged Suzuki Swift. The Ford Aspire turned out to originate from Kia. And (drumroll please) a Dodge Colt owner travelling south of the border soon learned to look for Mitsubishi Mirage parts.

And for the most part, those were the best selling, more reliable cars coming off those lots.

 

[Luis G]

I agree with prof, but I have something to add.

What will you use the car for?

You're civil engineer, you're most likely going to drive in unpaved roads and a regular car might get its suspension damaged quickly. Take a look at vw crossfox (thou, I don't know if they sell it up there).

 

[Professur]

Never heard of it. VW has a lot of nice machines that they don't sell here, including a mini-pickup.

 

[Luis G]

I've heard it is very comfy, and it certainly looks like it can take unpaved roads fine.

 

[Nixy]

OK where to start...

I have vitoed Toyota on feel already, didn't even need to drive it. Sitting in it was enough, I was uncomfortable it was out.

The mazda is way outta my price range, I knew that before I went in to look at it but I wanted to look at it anyway. My mom was in the same dealership with my cousin two weeks ago and the guy that helped them was also an ass. I believe it's a training issue and I believe for a car I can't afford right now I'm not gonna put up with any more of their BS.

The Pursuit has been test driven, it was wonderful. I did city roads, highways, traffic (whooo other people having accidents and giving me a chance to drive in traffic), turning, stopping, etc. I loved it. It's the same engine and everything as the last couple years that they made the Cavalier and Sunfire. So, my mom's car is over 2 years old and has over 50k on it and I drive it and love it on a regular basis.

I have checked insurance for the pursuit, and all four cars I plan to look at on mon...two kias and two hyundais, and every other car I've looked at so far and they're all about the same and all affordable.

Gas mileage isn't very different on any of them. The toyota and the smaller kia and the smaller hyundai i'm looking at are a bit lower and the rest are the same. In my budget I've allowed for $300 in gas a month. Gas is still in the low 90s around here and if I buy GM I'll have 20cents off per litre for the first year (current promotion).

I have used an online calculator where you enter financing rate and downpayment and cost and it spits out monthly payments on different lease terms. That is how I knew I couldn't afford the Mazda. I can afford the pursuit at the price the guy quoted me without powerwindows (but if I decide to go that route I shall try to talk him down so I can get power windows), I can afford any of the four i'm looking at on Monday essentially fully loaded. Mon is simply about "Are they comfy?" if not then they're vitoed, if so then I drive them and then decide between them all.

As for rebates, the GM has rebates coming out the wazzoo, extra grand off cause I live in the house with someone who currently owns a GM, $300 or so off that has been accumulated on my GM Visa (earn points when you use it), 20cents off gas up to 2500L for a year (equal to $500 in savings, I calculated it), 2.9% financing. PLus because I'm a new grad they make my first two payments on the car for me.

The hyundais and kia have 0.9% financing, and give me $500 towards my downpayment cause I'm a new grad. I kinda prefer the first two payments made for me though...two months of working without worrying about car payments will be good.

 

[Nixy]

I agree with prof, but I have something to add.

What will you use the car for?

You're civil engineer, you're most likely going to drive in unpaved roads and a regular car might get its suspension damaged quickly. Take a look at vw crossfox (thou, I don't know if they sell it up there).

I can't afford a VW CAR let alone a VW SUV.

As for driving on site though, they're mostly rehabilitation sites and if they require we use our own vehicles I'm pretty sure that usually it's just to get TO the site and that we won't have to be "offroading" so to speak.

 

[alex]

Will they be giving you mileage reimbursement for using your own vehicle?

 

[Nixy]

Will they be giving you mileage reimbursement for using your own vehicle?

Yes, the contract says the standard rate set out by some agency or another...

When I go get some breakfast in a min I'll find the contract. I wanna look up what the rate is.

 

[Professur]

Good reasoning, not that I expected less. Except that it's Veto. Vito is an italian guy that works up the street.

BTW, lease payments and buy payments are not the same.

Well, from reading that, it's obvious that you're already settled on the GM, and the others are just fluff to convince everyone that you did look. No harm there. Mum was far sold on her Shadow, and noone was gonna tell her otherwise. I wish you well to drive it, and take lots of photos of it. You're really gonna want them later on. The first car should always be a love affaire.

 

[Nixy]

Good reasoning, not that I expected less. Except that it's Veto. Vito is an italian guy that works up the street.

BTW, lease payments and buy payments are not the same.

Well, from reading that, it's obvious that you're already settled on the GM, and the others are just fluff to convince everyone that you did look. No harm there. Mum was far sold on her Shadow, and noone was gonna tell her otherwise. I wish you well to drive it, and take lots of photos of it. You're really gonna want them later on. The first car should always be a love affaire.

I know that lease and buy aren't the same...at the end of a lease if you want the car there's a lump sum left to pay...and the end of a financing term it's all yours (hence why financing payments are more).

I am pretty set on the pursuit but I didn't look at it until I'd seen the toyotas and the ford. I didn't know about the kia/hyundais. I am going to look at them for affordibility reasons but if I don't love them I'm not buying them. I think I feel SO comfy with the pursuit because it's essentially my mom's car but prettier (and quieter, man you should see the insulation under the hood) and we've had SUCH a good experience with my mom's car. Also, did you know that in the pursuit the battery is in the back with the spare tire and there is a charging terminal upfront? The reasons are threefold, it's away from the heat, it's better weight distribution and you can now boost from front OR back so if you're pulled in head on (which I rarely do anyways, I'd rather spend the time backing in while parking and then have an easier time getting out) you can easily boost from within the trunk!

 

[Nixy]

Oh and it has automatic headlights so I never have to remember to turn them on and off, tilt steering and height adjustable seat, outside temperature reader, a little thing that tells you what gas mileage you're getting, it's funky.

 

[Nixy]

My dad had such a love affair with his first car it's still down in our garage. Now my mom has a love affair with it. Some guy at her work asked her if she wanted to sell it and she told him it's the third last thing she'd sell (only me and my brother are further up the "do not sell" list than the truck...I wonder which of us she'd sell first...)

 

[Nixy]

Will they be giving you mileage reimbursement for using your own vehicle?

It's a rate set out by the Canadian Revenue Agency but I can't find said rate anywhere.

 

[A.B.Normal]

Oh and it has automatic headlights so I never have to remember to turn them on and off,

Thats the only thing I really miss about the Sonoma,it took me awhile to get back into the habit of turning on the headlights with the Dakota.

 

[Professur]

Also, did you know that in the pursuit the battery is in the back with the spare tire and there is a charging terminal upfront? The reasons are threefold, it's away from the heat, it's better weight distribution and you can now boost from front OR back so if you're pulled in head on (which I rarely do anyways, I'd rather spend the time backing in while parking and then have an easier time getting out) you can easily boost from within the trunk!

Actually, it's to stop people from boosting to the battery. That's been known to blow the computer. My van needs half an hour of dismantling to reach the battery. I let Sears do it for me. Cost me nothing. There's a big lug for the positive, and the engine for the negative, and that's all you get to see. But then, I don't boost. I carry booster pack all winter. I know one guy who fried his computer that way, and the $4k it cost him to replace it convinced me.

The van's got the auto-headlights too. I'm not a big fan. Jsut more hand-holding and idiot-proofing. Only serves to breed a better idiot. The sensors are on the dash, so if you've a habit of tossing clip boards and manifests there, odds are you're gonna be running with your full lights on all the time. That's all kinds of good news during a canadian winter.

 

[Luis G]

I can't afford a VW CAR let alone a VW SUV.

Over here it costs like USD$14,500.

 

[Nixy]

Actually, it's to stop people from boosting to the battery. That's been known to blow the computer. My van needs half an hour of dismantling to reach the battery. I let Sears do it for me. Cost me nothing. There's a big lug for the positive, and the engine for the negative, and that's all you get to see. But then, I don't boost. I carry booster pack all winter. I know one guy who fried his computer that way, and the $4k it cost him to replace it convinced me.

The van's got the auto-headlights too. I'm not a big fan. Jsut more hand-holding and idiot-proofing. Only serves to breed a better idiot. The sensors are on the dash, so if you've a habit of tossing clip boards and manifests there, odds are you're gonna be running with your full lights on all the time. That's all kinds of good news during a canadian winter.

I dunno, I know the guy said you could boost from both...

 

[catocom]

You're not interested in the Mitsubishi? I can vouch that their motors are indestuctable.

I'm just starting my first job...nothing high end for me..mitsubishi and nissan are off the charts price wise

Second the vote on Dodges. She might just be forced to confront her baseless bias.

Or, she'll just go buy the one she obviously already likes, like Inky says. BTW, a lot of Dodge's stuff these days under the hood IS mitsubishi, and the interiors are starting to resemble Mercedes (although that's a double-edged sword).

My reason for hating Dodge is three fold. Firstly it's the idiots at the dealership here in Brampton, tried to take my mom for a ride more than once. Second, it's the fact that she had a Dodge Caravan and had NOTHING but problems, got rid of it in less than 3 years because of that. Third, a friend of mine works at the chrysler plant here and told me he'd never buy a chrysler after what he's seen.

Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota, Honda.etc...

They are all good cars, in general. Some clunkers, some gold & a whole lot of in between.

Find the stuff you want, packaged, in the most affordable way & then pick color. For price I'd go Hyundai...for quality either Toyota or Honda...for price/package it'd be American (prefer Fords m'self).

You'll always find those who have horror (or love) stories.

Get a paycheck or ten first (buy used)

I got my used '87 Dodge Caravan for $350. It's got the 2.6 Mitsubishi motor
in it, and has been a good one so far.
I had to paint it, and do some transmission work on it (not much), and of
coarse put a tuneup on it, but I've got about 1k in it, and it's good.

EDIT: oh, but You do need to get whatever you get from someone that you know, or
has a good reference from someone you know. Person to person, you always get the
best deals, but you DO have to be careful.

 

[Inkara1]

Auto headlights stay on for a minute or so after you get out of the car. Prepare to hear a lot of "you left your lights on."